Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I took the advice of some of you and took the dog to a professional trainer. She evaluated him last Tuesday and said that she would like to work with him for a few days to see if she could curb some of his dominant behavior such as, sniffing, jumping up on people and of course biting when something is taken from him.

We dropped him off on Saturday and picked him up tonight. Unfortunately the news wasn't good. She said she has never seen a dog with such an attitude. She had to muzzle him because every time she would try to show dominance over him he would try to bite her!
She typically trains a dog in 2 to 3 weeks, but said it would take her months to train him.

This is really disapointing to us because we love the dog and he loves us too. He's a very friendly dog 99% of the time.
She said that we should either send him to a home where the people are VERY knowledgeable of dogs, have lots of time to work with him and don't have kids. Or we should have him put down!
I really don't want to do that.

I have more questions than answers: Have you talked with a husky rescue? Has your dog been checked out by a vet (to make sure there aren't physical problems contributing to the aggression)? Does the trainer work with humans in addition to working with dogs (all the classes I've taken with my dog have been as much about training owners as training dogs)? Are you in contact with your dog's breeder?

Bites are scary--especially when you have a child.

No, I have not contacted a Husky rescue.
Yes, she, the trainer does work with the owners as well as working with the dog one on one.
Yes, he has been given a physical since the biteing incident and yes, I have talked to the breeder and the dog may go back to him.

A trainer isn't necessarily a behaviorist- you need a behaviorist for this dog. Also, in my very humble opinion there's no reputable trainer in the world that can take a dog away from their home and "train" a dog in that short of a time. Good trainers don't "dominate" a dog. That will get almost any dog to bite especially a northern breed. This isn't a black lab you are dealing with and training methods that work on them do not work on huskies.

I know it's frustrating. I know you are trying. This dog will take a lot of work and if you aren't willing to do the work, there's no one who can do it for you. Rehoming this dog is probably your best answer for your situation, but if it were my dog, I'd not quite just yet. I'd find a person willing to teach me how to deal with this dog in a productive and safe manner. Yet, that's me and not necessarily everyoen in this world is able to do that. It takes time, money, energy and effort. The benefits are priceless in teh end, but it's a long road and tough at times.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Have him put down? What the heck is she thinking. I would talk to your vet, and see if they know of a good trainer, because that is not something a decent trainer would say, it sounds like she gave up on him. You could go to sleddogcentral.com, and see if there is a mentor in your area, ask them what you can do, or if they know of a good sibe trainer, someone who knows the breed. Good luck! Hope it all works out. Also what about the breeder, have you contacted them for help?

Could we have an update on the situation? I've been very interested.